You'll Get Over It
by MuchoBoho
Summary: PostRent MRish. It's been two years since Mark and Maureen broke up, and he hasn't had a date since. Maureen seeks to change this, much hilarity and awkwardness ensues. Possible smut warning if I get around to it. R&R, feedback makes me a happy boy.
1. The Epiphany

This was definatly my most interesting peice to work on, to say the least. It's definatly taking the longest to write, and I've changed things around so much I can't even count. I will also add, that I did not intend for this to come out as an M/R fic at all, I was actually quite against it. But many of my female friends are M/R fans and pushed me into it...I ended up thinking of a way for it to work, so no harm done.

Case in point, this was definatly fun and interesting to write, and I put a lot into it. Hope you enjoy

Disclaimer: If I wanted to steal Mr. Larson's work, I would have changed the names...

* * *

It's a beautiful Spring afternoon. The sun is shining wonderfully, casting light onto all of New York. The view in Central Park is awe inspiring, sun flowing through the trees, whose leaves have recently grown back after the crude winter. The view is especially wonderful from where Mark was sitting, due to the blonde goddess standing twenty feet from him. 

He is supposed to be here to possibly collect footage for a new documentary, but he finds himself unable to take his eyes away from her. Somehow, the light has caught her and she was moving in just the right way where it seemed like a scene from a movie.

He begins to envision what would happen if he went up to her, calm and cool, and just asked her out. Something simple, like a tea at the Life café. It's not exactly rocket science, something he should be able to do easily.

Somewhere in the time in which he was thinking about what he was going to say and how to say it, the woman had noticed his gaze. Slowly, she turns around a sudden wind picking up her hair, once again a moment too perfect to be real. Mark looks at her shyly, a small smile on his face.

"Take a picture four eyes, it'll last longer" The girl calls out to him. His face goes blank, eyes following her as she walks away laughing. It was then that he noticed the rest of the occupants of the park looking at him, blushing profusely. He tries to play it cool, flashing them all a small smile that looks more like a grimace. It's always nice to be embarrassed in public. He stands up quickly and puts as much distance between him and the scene he made as possible, going nearly at a run.

"Bitch…" Mark mutters bitterly, adjusting his glasses that had went slightly askew due to his quick pace. "I don't have enough money for tea anyway." Making the rent by random odd jobs he can pick up doesn't leave much money to splurge.

He brings his camera to his face, lens pushing against his glasses as he looks around once again looking for inspiration.

"New York City" He begins, mind racing feverishly to come up with something interesting to add to that. " 'The Big Apple' most call it, as for me…" His voice trails off as he lowers his hand from his face. "I'm just glad that the camera isn't on…" He says, shaking his head disappointed. Why is he so distracted now?

It's been a year since Today 4 You, and nothing has come to him since. He figured he'd take a few weeks off, then get right back to possibly shooting a new one, but nothing happened. His mind is as blank as a white canvas.

He finally makes it out of the park, far away from the people shooting him amused glances and to the main streets where everything is always busy. It's almost comforting to how isolated you can be, even in the middle of so many people. Everyone is busy doing whatever they're doing, so wrapped up in their agendas they don't bother to notice anything else. He likes this for times like there where he can just think and reflect a bit without anyone or anything bothering him.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" He thinks, running his fingers through his short blonde hair. "Why can't I concentrate on-wow…" His thoughts are cut off by a beautiful red head and, once again, things slow down in his mind like it is a movie. Their eyes meet for a moment, a goofy grin on his face. The girl smiles at him, then turns to face forward again. Mark himself looks forward just in time to catch a glimpse of the sign in front of him before walking headfirst into it.

"Oof." He spouts out as his forehead hit's the sign and he falls back. He lands on his back, sprawled out on the ground. He is unable to move, his blue eyes wide with the sudden epiphany he had just had. The smack on the forehead was just what he needed to realize what was wrong.

"I need to get laid…" He says out loud, sitting up and looking forward, blankly down the street.

"Yeah, don't we all buddy." A passerby mutters as he steps over the fallen film maker. Mark barely notices though, mouth gaped open at this realization. How had it taken him so long to see it? It's so simple.

He hasn't been laid since Maureen, he cringes at the thought. At first it wasn't so bad, it hadn't been that long and he had a lot of things to occupy his mind. He was still horny most of time, and he hit on Maureen as well as every other girl he knew, but he always had an escape from all that in his film. He wasn't bothered by the fact that he was still stuck on his ex girlfriend who wasn't into guys anymore.

Once he had finished his documentary and everything seemed to smooth over in his life, he had nothing to keep him busy. So, slowly but surely, he came to the realization that he really needs some ass.

He decides t skip searching for inspiration, a fruitless effort which he knew would yield him nothing more than a few more bruises and awkward situations. He hurries his way back to the loft, his eyes glued to the ground as to not meet eyes with anymore females and walk into anymore signs.

He unlocks the front door after a minute or so of looking fro his key, a girl walking by gave him a look and he dropped his keys. It seems that, knowing what he does now, all of his defenses toward the opposite sex are lowered.

He runs up to the loft at full speed, happy to not meet anyone on the way up. Opening the door, he stumbles over to the couch and throws himself onto it. He lays his camera on the floor and buries his face into the cushion.

"What's eating you Mark?" He hears from the left of him. He looks up from the couch and over to see Roger. He is sitting on a chair, feet rested on a stolen milk crate and a bowl of Cap'n Crunch in his lap. He takes one more bite of the cereal, giving Mark the once over.

"I need to get laid Roger." mark says without thinking about it. Roger just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean, besides the obvious." Roger mumbles through a mouth full of Cap'n Crunch.

"What do you mean." Says Mark, incredulously. To this Roger laughs so hard he nearly chokes on his cereal.

"You mean you just figured this out now?" Roger replies, voice still full of laughter. "What's the matter, Spielberg? Need something to be written in a script before you take a hint?" The words coming out rather difficult in his attempt to stifle his snickers at the look on Mark's face.

"Wow, is it that obvious?" Mark asks, taking of his glasses and buries his face in his hands. This day isn't going at all according to plan. "I mean, it isn't that bad is it?" he says, lying completely. He knew it was bad, but he didn't think others would see it so much before he did.

Um, yeah." Roger says looking right at him. "Mark, you haven't had an intimate experience with anything but your right hand for about two years."

Mark blushes once again at this. Of course Roger was right, Mark couldn't deny this fact but it didn't make him want to admit it. "Come on Rog, it's not really that serious." He lies once more.

Roger pauses momentarily, staring blankly at Mark, making him feel even more uncomfortable. In one of the calmest, most reasonable voices he has ever used. "Mark, if you don't get laid soon I will do it for you, because you are so depressed right now I can't even laugh about it." he finishes, small snicker escaping from his mouth after a few seconds. "Ok, maybe I can laugh at it, but it's getting old."

"Asshole…" Mark mutters, unable to look at Roger.

"Don't be bitter, it aint sexy." Roger say laughing. He leans over, reaching behind the chair for something. Finally, he comes back up with a small box. He throws it over to Mark.

Mark catches it and looks at the front. "Condoms? Are you kidding me?" He says exasperated.

"If I don't see you've used one in a few weeks, I'll resort to drastic measures." Roger says, still amused. He gets another laugh at the blank store on Mark's face, then hands him the bowl. "Cap'n Crunch Marky boy?"


	2. To the Lions

It's been a month since that day in which Mark had had his epiphany and he still hasn't had so much as a date. It wasn't for lack of trying though, he made an effort. It's just that by the time he stopped staring and convinces himself to talk to the girl, she would have already walked away. Often times in the arms of a guy who was taller, strong and better looking than him. Why is it that the only girls he is cofortable with are either lezzies, taken or family members?

He is lying in bed, contemplating not getting up for a week or two when he hears a knock on the door. "Who are you and what do you want?" He mutters dryly.

"It's me, Markamus." He hears Maureen's voice through the door.

Surely this isn't real, surely Maureen isn't here right now. It's just his sex starved subconscious mind playing tricks on him. He's still dreaming right? All poor theories of mental inadequacy go out the window as the door opens and she walks in, bright smile on her face.

She bounds over to his bed and jumps onto it right next to Mark, while he looks on with astonishment. What he woulnd't give to have her in his bed more often, but that's different.

"Roger tells me you're in desperate need of assistance." Maureen says happily before Mark can open his mouth to ask. Mark gapes at her then notices Roger at the door.

"I told you, drastic measures." He says, voice saturated with laughter. Mark just stares blankly and flips him off, earning nothing but another laugh from Roger.

"No need to be bitter Marky." Maureen cuts them off, averting his death glare from Roger to her. She sounded serious, something that he hadn't heard from her much. "He's right, you really need to get laid. And a little help never hurts." She says, resting her chin on her folded arms and looking at him intently.

"Only my pride and self esteem Maureen..." Mark mutters, looking back at the ceiling

"I hate to break it to ya." She moves a bit closer, sitting up more. There was a sort of pity in her voice, like she was breaking bad news to someone ignorant to the obvious. "But after two years without physical contact with the opposite sex, those are two things you should not worry about."

Once again, the woman has a point. Not that it makes him feel any better. On the contrary, he can't stop thinking about how pathetic the situation is.

"Alright, I concede..." He says after a few long moments of silence. This is so awkward, he can't believe this is actually happening to him. Then a thought struck him. "How will you be helping me? Are you gonna.." He begins to say, grinning widely. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Maureen shoots Mark a glare. "Marky, this is the reason you haven't gotten laid. You need to get over this. It's been over two years now and I'm a lesbian...I just don't swing that way anymore."

"But it would be so easy. I mean, we're already in bed, and I have condoms that Roger gave me.. All we need to do is lose some clothing." He says, grinning once more. Even though he knows there's no chance in it happening, it can't hurt to try.

Maureen laughs and pushes Mark, nearly sending him off the bed. "No, I was thinking of something different. I know a few desperate girls who I could set you up with." Her bright smile at these words contrasting beautifully with Mark's look of exasperation.

"Ease up on the desperate part, will ya?" He pleads with her. Desperate doesn't always add up to a pleasant situation, and he doesn't want to deal with someone as desperate as him. She considers this for a second.

"Alright, I can manage that." She says once she finally comes to her decision, giving Mark a kiss on the forehead. "I'll do my best to get you some lovin' as soon as possible." She giggles, jumping off the bed. "I'll give you more information when I get you a date, mkay?" She says before turning heel and prancing out of the loft.

There is silence for a good minute or so, where Mark just stares blankly at Roger, unable to believe what had just gone down. "Why...why do you hate me?" Came Mark's voice, finally breaking the silence. He sits up at shots an accusitory glance at him.

Roger walks over to the bed. "I don't hate you Mark, I love you. That's why it's painful for me to see you like this. You're miserable, don't even try to deny it"

Mark just shakes his head at these words. "Have you any idea what kind of girls Maureen is gonna send at me? You've fed me to the lions Rog." He says, slightly over dramatic. Roger sits next to his room mate, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"You'll be fine Mark. You're a good guy, a lot of things going for you that any girl would like. Everything will work out ok." He says in a soothing voice, smiling reassuringly at him. "And if it doesn't" He continues, standing up. "At least it'll be fun as hell to watch." Roger says, laughing once more before leaving the room.


	3. Out of the Frying Pan

Mark had that sinking feeling in his stomach, the one that told him that he was gonna have a hell day. The reason for this? He had just been told him that his first date was going to be today. Not only that, but she had decided that she was going to make him up. She had gone through all of his shirts, pants as well as hair gels that she brought herself and other accessories. He is scared now.

She isn't letting him near a mirror until she is completely finished. "It doesn't look that good until it's complete." She says matter of factly, instilling quite a bit of fear into his heart. "You'll just have to trust me."

He decides to trust her, which he regrets when she finally lets him look at the mirror. He curses himself as he sees the damage done. "I look gay." He mutters weakly, gingerly pating his spiked hair. He's worried it might puncture him or something. His eyes travel down further to see his shirt, a skin tight muscle shirt that showed quite clearly that he has none. What has she done?

"You don't look gay, you look... fashionable." She nods.

"I look gay." He reiterates. "All that's missing is the nail polish and the eyeliner." He says sarcastically.

"Can I give you eyeliner?" She asks excitedly, face lighting up with joy at the prospect.

"NO!" Mark says, rather loud before he stifles himself. He takes a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. "No, you've done enough dama...er, you've helped enough." He fixes himself, blushing slightly.

"Aww" Maureen pouts. "You'd look sexy with eyeliner." She says, disappointed with him. Giving Mark an encouraging smile and thumbs up, he gets up and walks toward the door.

"Good luck Marky" She calls to him.

Mark looks back at her, raising an eyebrow at her. Yeah, he sure as hell is gonna need it. He begins to wonder once more what Roger had gotten him into.

The place is called the Ellen Stardust dinner. Maureen had told him all about how the servers are all Broadway hopefuls who sing when they aren't waiting on anyone. He looks down at the paper she had given him, as he got closer to the destination. It has the name of the place, the address, and the name of his date on it, which she neglected to mention to him in person. Always a helpful bit of information, that is.

He walks into the restaurant, nearly walking into the hostess. "Um, for two...I'm waiting for someone." He says, smiling nervously.

"Ah." She says, smiling encouragingly at him and bringing him to the table. "Here you go, good luck." Laying down the two menus for him, she looks rather amused. Mark blushes noticing this, very self-conscious and wishing he didn't let Maureen make him up.

He waits for a few minutes, drumming his fingers on the table. He was restless waiting for…(Looks at the slip of paper) Rebecca. He looks back up to see his waitress walk over to him, a pleasant smile on her face.

"Hi, my name is Bunny. I will be serving you today. Can I start you off with something to drink?" She asks sweetly.

Mark tries to smile, coming out as a nervous grimace. "Yeah...er, just get me a water."

"Anything else Hun?"

"Not right now." He replies. "But I am waiting for someone. Should show up any second."

"Ohh." She says. "That explains how nervous you look."

"Is it that obvious?" He laughs softly, trying to relieve some of the tension in his body.

"Just a little bit." She laughs as well. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. I'm sure his nice." She says, trying to reassure him. The poor guy looks terrified.

"Yeah, I like to hope.." He starts to say, but stops short as he realizes just what she said. "Wait he? What do you mean he?" He asks indignantly.

"Well, you're gay aren't you...?" She says with a shrug, and then stops. She puts a hand to her mouth, chuckling nervously. "You're not... oops. I'm sorry, you just looked..." Every time she tries to apologize it ends up coming out worse, she decides to just cut her losses and say nothing else. "I'm sorry..." She says, trying to keep it simple.

"No, I know I look gay. It…It wasn't me. I didn't pick this damn shirt." He stammers out. "H-hold on, I'll be right back." He runs off to the bathroom, leaving Bunny feeling guilty and confused.

He looks into the mirror, shaking his head and scowling at how ridiculous he looks. How had Maureen found this attractive? Unless she's doing this just to mess with him...That's a scary thought. In that case, he's afraid about this Rebecca that Maureen found for him. He never wanted so bad to stay in the bathroom before.

In any case, he has to do something about his appearance or his date might just run for it. Nothing he can do about the ugly shirt, still clinging to his skinny frame, this causes another grimace. At least he can fix his hair, or attempt to fix it.

He turns the faucet on, cupping his hands and filling them with water. He splashes water on his hair continuously, trying to rid it of all of the gel that turned his hair into a spikey hell, until he looked like a drowned albino rat with glasses. He takes some paper towells, trying to dry his hair as best he can. Cringing once again, he tries to reason with himself. As bad as it looks now, it's still better than the metro look.

When he walks out of the bathroom, a glance down at his table causes him to do a double take. There was a female there. Not just any girl, but the blonde goddess who embarrassed him in Central Park a month ago. Normally, he wouldn't remember just a girl from so long ago but she is beautiful...and he was embarrassed.

He looks up at the ceiling, asking God for help and guidance in this endeavor. Also wondering what he had done to deserve this. "Oi gavault..." He mutters, making a death march to his seat.

Maybe God shall be merciful and she won't remember him. Maybe things will all right and they'll hook up. He sits down opposite her, doing his best to smile. "Hi, I'm Mark." He says, adjusting his glasses and all too aware of his hair flattened to as well as the water that seemed to be dripping down his back.

The looks on her face as she looked at him showed him that he should never doubt her memory. "Oh my God." She mutters, looking away from him. "It's four eyes..." She says with a grimace.

"What?" Mark sputters out in complete disbelief. And people wonder why he doesn't get laid, cause of shit like this. He spares one more glance to the heavens, wondering why God hates him.

"Jesus, Maureen said you were cute." She continues, rolling her eyes. So much for her being nice, this dat is going to go nowhere. Unless he drugs her...or suddenly turns into a completely different person. Let's face it; if he could do that it would be done already.

"Heh...Maureen's funny like that..." He says before burying his face in his hands. She is about to open up her mouth to retort but, thankfully, he is saved by Bunny rushing over.

"May I get you anything?" She says, slightly louder than she had been before. He isn't sure, but it seems like she is trying to cut Rebecca off. The look she flashes him, the slightly pitying look secures that thought in his mind. She must have seen what was going on and how uncomfortable he is.

Thank God for tactful waitresses.

"Um, may I have a..." He begins, but is cut off by Rebecca talking in a loud voice.

"I'll have an ice tea, and a turkey club." She says, shooting him a scathing look, almost reprimanding him for speaking before her. Mark looks down at the table while Bunny turns her focus to him.

"Um...I'm not really hungry..." He says truthfully, he has lost all appetite since arriving here. "I'll get something a little later." He feels his lips moving but is barely aware of what he's saying, he is too busy throwing Bunny a desperate look that cries "Please Save Me!" She shoots him back a slightly helpless look. She wishes she could do more, but isn't in a position to do so.

He looks back at Rebecca, smiling weakly and hoping that he survives this date. "So..." Mark starts but, unsurprisingly, she cut him off.

"May I ask you why you were staring at me in the park?" She says not looking at him, her voice cold and icy. It is now clear to him that she is only still here because he is paying for dinner.

"I...uh..." He sputters out after a few seconds of awkward silence, random words issuing from his lips trying to think about exactly why he was doing so. He could barely remember, mind straining under her gaze to try to recall.

"Well, I'm a film maker..." He begins once he finally remembers the exact reason, besides her being beautiful. "And I was looking for inspiration. Then I saw you, and the light was just right, and the wind blew your hair, and everything was so perfect." He says, slowly recalling the exact moment and how he felt in detail. This also sounds better than "I really needed to get laid."

She seems to brighten up to him after that. Maybe flattery was just what she needed. They actually begin to talk, and get along rather nicely. She laughs at his jokes as well as leaning forward, her low cut v-neck shirt giving him a good cleavage shot. Always a plus. Then she rests her hand on his, thumb caressing his skin gently and flashes him a seductive look. Maybe this date isn't so bad after all.

They are about ready to leave when she brings up his film making once more.

"I've always been interested in being an actress and model. I don't suppose you knew anyone I could meet to help me get into the business." She says in a low purr, her foot gliding his leg gently. This makes Mark blush and shift slightly in his chair. "I would be _very_ grateful..."

Mark gulps hard, breathing a bit heavier than normal. He hadn't had a moment like this in such a long time...since he met Maureen. "I'm more aspiring at the moment. I made a documentary, but it didn't make it as big as I hoped. I don't really know anyone important." He says weakly, his voice not working so well.

As soon as she hears this, the moment is gone. Her foot drops to the floor, her hand retreats. "Oh." She says shortly, once again looking coldly at him. She grabs her purse and stands up. "I have to go, Mark. Goodbye."

All of this happens so fast it makes his head spin. What had just happened? He is just left there, gaping at her as she turns to leave. "See you sometime?" Mark asks, voice failing him once more.

"Don't think so Mark, it won't work between us." She says dryly, and then walks out.

He has just gotten completely suckered. She is damn good, she must do it for a living, he didn't even know he was being roped in until he saw his feet tied up and was left their helpless. All he can do is sit there, ashamed of himself for being so gullible. He raps his head on the table repeatedly, reprimanding himself with each hit and looking up only when Bunny comes back over. She seems quite worried about him.

"Um...you ok? Where's your date?" She asks once she notices the absence of Rebecca.

He is barely listening, however. "Check please." He mutters. "Apparently she wasn't feeling the chemistry or...something." He says, not wanting to sound too bitter and say she was a manipulative little whore. "So she just left." He ends, feeling rather pathetic.

Bunny makes a sympathetic face, she really feels bad for him. He seems to not have had a very good day from the start, and he honestly seems like a nice guy. She doesn't understand why someone would just walk out on him like that.

"I'm sorry Hun." She says gently. "I'll get you the check." She walks away, wishing she could do something to help. Instead, she just goes to write out the check.

Mark just waits in silence for her to come back, completely beyond words at this point. It gives him plenty of time to sit there and think about how much of an idiot he is. Somehow he manages a weak smile as Bunny comes back with the check.

"Thanks..." He mutters, paying for everything and making sure to give her a good tip. So what if this is the last of his earnings for his last temp job, she was very nice to him when she didn't have to be.

"Not a problem." She says awkwardly, she honestly doesn't think she did very much to help him and isn't very sure of what to say. "Um...have a nice day. Hope things go better for you." She says with a shrug, at a complete loss.

"Me too." He replies, standing up and walking out the door. All he can think now is how much he wants to kill Maureen


	4. Into the Fire

To everyone who is still following this story of mine, I would like to apologize for the delay with the poosting of the chapters. I've been so busy with...basically everything and I having gotten around to it. Hopefully this chapter will be worth the wait. Much love to you all )

* * *

"Out of all the God damn females in New York, you had to chose here!" Mark finds himself yelling at Maureen as he paces around the loft, while Roger laughs his ass off in the back round.

"How was I supposed to know that you saw each other before, you never even told me about that?" Maureen says with a shrug.

Mark had informed them as to the fiasco that was his date with Rebbecca. Roger, of course, had found it to be highly amusing, while Maureen seemed only surprised that he had met her before. "Small world, isn't it"

Mark smacks his palm to his face at Maureen's words. "It wasn't just that she insulted me a month ago." He says, his voice and exasperation rising. "It's the fact that she was one of the most unpleasant girls I've ever met. She was cold, manipulative, and just an all around bitch. Didn't you notice this when you set up the damn date?"

Maureen shrugs once more, a look of complete innocence on her face. "I thought she was only that way towards other girls and casting directors." She says, pulling him into a hug and kissing his cheek. "I'm sorry I set you up with a harpy...It just shows you how lucky you were to have me." She concludes, bright smile lighting up her features.

Mark pauses for a few seconds. "Maureen..." He begins once he finally finds his voice. "Do you stay up nights, contemplating ways to make my life miserable?" He asks feebly.

"Only Monday through Friday." She replies.

"I pick up the weekends." Roger chimes in, a wide grin on his face.

* * *

Mark looks at the paper Roger had just given him. It had been a week since his last date and he had hoped Maureen would have just given up, but her determination to ruin his life is unrelenting. She must be losing a lot of sleep.

According to the paper in his hands, his next assignment will be for the following day, so he has a night to think about what horrors lie in store for him. Her name is Charlotte, and they are to meet at the same place as the previous week. Maybe he will see Bunny again and will be able to talk to her.

Maybe he can find out her real name.

He paces about the loft, trying not to think about the next day. He isn't usually so nervous about dates, he's just afraid of what Maureen is cooking up for him next. The fact that Roger keeps snickering at him doesn't help him in the slightest.

"Would you stop that?" Mark bursts out when he has finally had enough of it.

"I can't help it. You look like your death sentence is tomorrow." Roger says, leaning back on the couch. "You're going on a date, not being sent to the gas chamber."

"With Maureen setting us up, it could be the same thing." Mark retorts, sitting next to him. He looks over at his best friend as he leans his head back against the couch. "I can't take much more of this if all of the dates are gonna be like the first one."

"You dated Maureen, I would have thought you could deal with anything." Roger says with a smirk, Mark has no manner of luck when it comes to girls.

Mark chuckles bitterly. "I think that Maureen is determined to set me up with girls that are more nuts than her." He says. And with that, he stands up and walks into his room.

He wakes up the next day wishing he could go back to sleep and just skip this date. At least, he tells himself, he's not letting Maureen turn him metro sexual again. Not such a great look for him, not at all.

Walking to the Stardust again, he tries to calm himself down. It's only been one date, after all, maybe it was just Rebbecca that was really bad. Maybe this Charlotte will be ok.

In any case, he tries not to walk into the date with any prejudices...just a little fear. He finally makes it there, the hostess smiling at him and taking him to his seat once more. It's all frighteningly familiar to him after only one visit, but after a time like that, ever detail sticks to the mind.

Once again waiting for his date to show up, he grins as Bunny walks over to him. "Hey hun." She says brightly.

"Hi." Mark says, grinning back up at her. It's the first time had actually gotten a decent look at her, being so distraught over the date the last time, so he steels an extra glance. He finds her to be really cute, with a petite frame, only 5'4" at most but with a nice build. She has an attractive face with chin length, dark brown hair.

"Another date?" She asks interestedly. "Don't suppose you've heard from the girl that was here last week?"

"When hell freezes over." He says with a chuckle. It makes him happy to know that she remembers him. He takes a deep breath, exhaling some tension, feeling much better now that he has shared a laugh with her.

She laughs along with him. "Didn't think so, I'll go get your water." And with that she rushes off.

While he is waiting for Bunny to come back, another girl walks over to him. He looks up to see a girl about his height, with slightly tanned skin and black hair that flows down to her shoulders. "You Mark?" She asks before he can formulate any sort of statement.

"Yeah...why?" He asks, an eyebrow raised. He isn't quite sure where she is going with this but, considering how the last date was, it could be pretty bad.

"Good." She says quickly, a rather relieved smile on her face, before sitting down opposite him. "I was hoping...I'm Charlotte." She says with a pleasant smile.

Mark grins across the table at her, she seems nice already. And she just said that she wanted it to be him...and the term 'four eyed creep' hasn't come up yet. Maybe this is going to be ok after all. "Nice to meet you." Is all he can manage to say.

"It's great to meet you." She replies. "Maureen said you were cute but I was worried. You never can tell with Maureen, can you?" She says with a laugh, to which Mark laughs as well.

"Yeah, she's like an enigma wrapped in drama." He says, his voice still filled with laughter. "I'm just glad you like me, couldn't say the same for the girl last week." And he goes into the story of the train wreck date of the previous week.

"My god." She says once he had finished with his story, her eyes slightly wide with surprise and laughter. "What the hell was she thinking setting you up with Rebbecca?"

"She said she thought she was 'only mean to other girls and casting directors.'" He says, voice saturated with laughter at the ridiculousness of this statement.

"Wow..." Charlotte mutters, completely amazed. "She's even more ditsy than I thought." She shakes her head.

Mark nods, still unable to stop his flow of laughter as Bunny comes back with their water and places it on the table. She bends down to whisper into Mark's ear.

"Seems to be going better this time around." She whispers softly, sending shivers down Mark's spine as her breath meets his sensitive ears.

"Most defiantly." Mark assures her with a wide grin, but when he looks back at Charlotte, she is looking at him with a stony look on her face.

"What was that?" She asks accusatory.

"Nothing, she just asked me how things were going."

"Sure…" She says skeptically before reaching into her purse to search for something. Whatever it is she is looking for apparently isn't there, for she starts swearing underneath her breath, rifling through her bag frantically.

"Something wrong?" Mark asks once he becomes slightly worried about her.

"My medication, I must have left it at home. This isn't good." She mutters, not even looking up at Mark.

"Medication…medication for what?"

"Um…Maureen didn't tell you?" She asks with a small wince. Mark's stomach sinks at this, what the hell is wrong now. It seemed like it was going to be such a good date. He shakes his head as a response.

"I'm bipolar. It's manageable as long as I have my medication but…" She her voice trails off seeing the look on Mark's face. "I should be alright." She continues, trying to calm his nerves a bit. "As long as nothing happens to trigger a strong emotion…" To this Mark buries his face in his hands.

"Don't worry…" She says, her face falling even more. "Let's just try to pretend nothing has happened."

Like hell, Mark thinks. But he figures he might as well try, he was having a good time until now. And she says she can manage it if he's careful not to get her really angry or sad.

Bunny comes back over to them, thankfully breaking the silence. "Can I get you started with anything?" She asks, bright smile still in tact.

They place their orders and Bunny pats him on the shoulder. "I'm going up." She says with an excited smile and runs off. That's when he remembers that all of the waiters and waitresses perform, being too distraught the last time to notice anything happening around him. He turns his body to face where she had run off to, excited to see her sing.

She starts to sing "Hey Big Spender" from Sweet Charity. Mark looks on, a goofy expression on his face as she struts around sexily, interacting with all of the people in the restaurant.

He continues to stare until Charlotte interjects, almost shouting. "So, what do you do for a living?" She asks forcefully.

"I shoot things..." Mark mutters, still not paying much attention to her.

"What?" She asks, eyes widening at his answer.

Mark, realizing what he just said, shakes his head, getting himself back to focusing on her. "Film maker I mean, I shoot films." He says with an awkward laugh. She shares the laugh with him and they talk together once more. Still, he can't help but think about Bunny in the back of his mind, which is why he forgets what he is saying completely when she sits next to him towards the end of the song.

She starts snuggling into him as she sings, causing Mark to laugh and blush slightly. She is definitely too close for comfort, closer to him than with anyone else, most likely because she knows him.

Before anyone can tell what's happening, there is movement. Charlotte stands up, walks over to Bunny sitting next to Mark and slaps her hard across the face.

"Tramp, trying to hit on my date!" She yells as Bunny falls to the floor, music still blaring though the rest of the restaurant is silent. She grabs Mark's water and tosses it into his face, eyes cubes connecting loudly against his glasses. "And you! You were checking her out while I was sitting right in front of you!" She yells, bursting out into tears, walking back to her seat and collapsing into it.

"And I thought you were such a nice guy." She sobs, taking a drink of her water trying to calm herself down. "You're just a bastard, I bet you cheated on Maureen, that's why she dumped you." She points an accusatory finger at him.

There is a stunned silence as everyone in the restaurant stares at them. Frightened food runners are forced out of the back with their orders. They set the food down and dash to the back. Charlotte picks up her burger and takes a bite.

"Are you gonna cover the check? Cause I didn't bring money..." She says, looking over at a still dumbfounded Mark. Bunny is still on the floor, eyebrows raised at her behavior, unable to believe she had just been slapped while on the job.

The manager rushes out of the back room and walks over to them. "Excuse me, but I think it would be best if you two left." He says sternly.

"He didn't do anything, it was just the girl." Bunny chimes in from the floor.

"Ok, we don't want any trouble mam..." He says, preparing himself for the worst.

"It's ok, I'll go." She says, smiling pleasantly at him, seemingly unaware of the scene she just made. She grabs her purse and stands up. "Call me Mark." She says, waving to him as she walks to the door, then out.

The entire restaurant continues to watch in awkward silence for another minute until someone begins to laugh. As soon as it starts, everyone else starts to crack up as well, breaking the tension completely. He looks around to the person who started it, it was Bunny, still on the floor. Apparently she finds highly amusing that she had just been slapped.

Once things go back to normal, she gets up and sits opposite him. "My shift is over once your done..." She says by way of explanation, taking a sip of the water that is still there. "You sure know how to pick 'em. This one was more interesting than last week's." Bunny says, still chuckling. She reaches into her apron, taking out a piece of cloth out and tossing it to him to dry himself off.

"I didn't chose them." He says defensively, taking his glasses off and wiping his face dry, then doing the same to his glasses. "My ex girlfriend is setting me up on dates." He says before going into the explanation of how he needs to get a girl.

"And so they're hell bent on getting me laid...Only I think Roger just wants a good laugh." Mark finishes, shaking his head. This is his life.

Bunny pauses for a moment. "I think you need new friends." She says with a laugh.

"I'm starting to think that now too." He says jokingly, chuckling weakly. "Seriously, they aren't this bad all the time...just times like this."

"I know what you mean." She nods.

Mark simply looks at her for a few seconds. He realizes how wonderful she is. She is funny and so great to talk to. After a short pause he decides he needs to break the silence. "What's your real name?" He asks, noticing just then that he doesn't know this.

"Beatrice." She says with a slight grimace. "But I prefer Bunny, I hate my real name."

And so he finishes his mean talking with her and actually having a good time. Once he finishes, he puts down the money for the check (once again, a very generous gratuity added.)

"You know, I don't see why all of this is necessary." She says as she stands up. "You're a nice guy, you don't need to be set up like this. All you need is a little confidence." She smiles softly at him, says a small goodbye and walks to the back to get her things and leave.

Mark however, just stands there, staring at the spot where she had just been. He decides right then and there that Beatrice is the one that he wants. He repeats this to himself over and over again a few times before standing up and walking quickly out.


	5. The Right Idea

It's been a few weeks and Maureen is still trying to set him up, sending date after date at him. Same time, same place, none successful. This is because unbeknownst to Maureen, or anyone but Mark for that matter, he can't seem to concentrate on anyone but Beatrice the whole time he is there. Especially when she sings.  
Needless to say, none of the dates go over very well.

Two weeks after Charlotte, he finds himself on a fate with a girl who is bigger and stronger than he is. Honestly, it seems as if Maureen is just closing her eyes and picking random names from a hat. She is at least two inches taller than him and much broader at the shoulder. One can never understand how mortifying that is until you experience it. Her face isn't that bad, but it wears a sour expression from the moment they sit down, so it isn't that hard to get lost in other things…Like Beatrice, and how talented and beautiful she is…

He can't hold a conversation from the moment the date starts until she lashes out at him at toward the end. "Now I get why you have gotten laid in two years!" She yells, scolding him. He doesn't hear, however, for it is now Beatrice's turn to sing, and she just got up.

So at the end of the date when he pays for the check, they don't even exchange goodbyes.

"Hell." He thinks as he walks toward the door. He flashes Beatrice a wide smile before walking out. "At least she stayed for the whole date…"

For another month or so the dates are nothing more than slight variations of that one, usually ending with an annoyed glance, a slap in the face or a comment on how he's never getting laid acting like that. Apparently Maureen told each of them that he hasn't had sex in over two years. The way he sees it, the dates are all damned from the start, doomed to fail no matter what he does. He's just helping the process along.

The only thing that is disheartening through out this whole affair is Roger's comments.

"Swear to God, Mark, I don't know how the hell you can do it." Roger says every once in a while when he comes home from a date empty handed. "At this point I would just pretend to like who ever it was just so I could get some ass." Always followed by laughter.

Everyone in a while he will even threaten him with his patented "If you don't get laid soon, I'll do it for you." Which he never takes seriously. It actually begins to get annoying after a while.

* * *

He comes home from his latest date to shouting. And not just the usual shouting that he normally hears from the loft, the kind that means Mimi and Roger are going at it. It's the actual yelling of a fight. That is strange, he thinks, they haven't had a fight in almost a week or so.

He walks into the loft just as Mimi is leaving, seeing Roger fuming in the middle of the room. "Honestly, I don't know how you put up with him on a daily basis, Mark." She says before stomping her way out of the loft. He shrugs, walking over to the couch and sitting down.

Roger throws himself onto the couch next to him. "Fucking hell." He spits out bitterly.

"What's the fight about this time?" Mark asks, turning his face to watch the pissed off rock star.

"…I don't even know." Roger replies after a short pause. "She just annoys the hell out of me sometimes." He says before letting out a frustrated yell.

Mark just sits there, shrugging, none of this being new to him. It happens all the time between them and it always ends with incredible make up sex. How did he know this…well the walls are pretty thin.

Right now he is just gonna try to talk Roger through this. That way he can cut the brooding down by a bit and Mark can go back to thinking about Beatrice.

"You know…I know you're not trying not to get laid." Roger says, which isn't quite true. He wants to get laid, just not with any of the girls Maureen set him up with. "But I think you have the right idea about not hooking up with girls. You don't have to deal with their bullshit at every turn." He mutters bitterly.

That's a new one, Mark can't recall ever hearing Roger say that he regrets having sex.

"Why not try experimenting with guys or something…" Mark says absent mindedly, not really paying much attention to the conversation. "Maybe you'll get along better with guys."

"Guys are as annoying as girls are, Mark, just in different ways." Roger says, then turns to face Mark. "And what the hell do you mean experimenting, you think I haven't fucked a guy before?" He says with a chuckle, as if anyone could have guessed it.

This earns a major double take from Mark; he is definitely paying attention now. "Wait, what?" He sputters out.

"Come on Mark." He says, as if he is explaining something simple to a two year old. "I was in a rock band, there aren't many of us who haven't. There weren't always girls around, and guy groupies are as good a lay as a female." He explains casually, looking forward once more as Mark stares exasperatedly at Roger.

"Besides..." He continues, looking back at Mark. "I thought you knew I was bi...guess not." He lets out a loud laugh at the look on Mark's face.

As Mark continues to stare at Roger, a thought hits him. "Wait...so when you said you'll do it for me..." He asks, unable to finish the question.

"Best not to ask Marky." Roger says, his lips curving into a smirk. "Just do your best not to find out." He once again gets a huge laugh at the "deer in the headlights" look on Mark's face.


	6. The Clever Ruse

Chapter 6

The Clever Ruse

After a while Mark is able to into the back of his mind the possibility that Roger might take matters into his own hands. He has more important things on his mind, like trying to survive the horrific dates that Maureen is still trying to set him up on.

She is dumb founded as to how he can have gone through so many dates without any positive results.

"Well, you don't give me much room for success, do you?" Mark retorts

"How do you figure that?" Maureen asks defensively, placing her hands on her hips and looking sternly at him.

"Let's use a few examples, shall we?" Mark says in a dangerously soft tone, advancing on her slightly. "How about the time you set me up with the girl who is bi-polar?"

"She is very nice, I didn't think you would have cared." She fires back.

"You didn't even tell me before hand."

"She said the date went fine..." She says weakly, her resolve crumbling.

"She slapped the waitress and got kicked out of the restaurant!" He yells. That pretty much ends the argument. Of course, he fails to mention that he isn't trying very hard to make the dates work...she doesn't have to know that.

What he has neglected to tell anyone is that he has finally found a way to make it through the dates. He realized that if he timed it right he can end the date around the same time that Beatrice gets off of work. Now it is just a matter of making sure that the date ends early enough so that he can talk to someone he wants to.

* * *

After one interesting end to a date when he actually calls the girl by the wrong name, he hears a familiar laugh behind him. It is Beatrice, and she is giggling and shaking her head as she walks away. There's an idea, he thinks, maybe he can make things interesting for her as well.

"Are you messing things up on purpose?" She asks, sitting down in front of him after her shift is up. "Or are you just naturally that awkward?"

Mark tries to chuckle that one off. "I did it on purpose. I really wasn't feeling right about the date, giving me bad vibes and all." He says before pausing for a beat. "And...I am kind of awkward..." He concedes, which earns him another laugh. Hearing her laugh is wonderful, and now he's gonna try to do it as much as possible. The dates are doomed to hell anyway, he might as well make her laugh as it crashes and burns.

He begins to spend down time thinking of interesting ways to mess up dates, and making sure to do it when she's around. As he goes through, he finds he enjoys the one liners that he comes up with the best.

Mark sat down for one a few weeks ago and the first thing out of his mouth when Beatrice walked by was. "Are you Jewish, cause that turns me on." This being accompanied by an eager smile made Beatrice have to stifle a noise of disbelief and nearly drop the tray she was carrying. He saw her later leaning against the wall near the back, laughing silently and shaking her head.

Each time he would do this, they have a good time talking about it afterward. He gets closer to her every time they talk, beginning to long for the half hour or so that they share after the dates.

* * *

The latest date ends rather abruptly. The clincher is when Beatrice walks over with the check. Mark flashes her a wink before turning back to his date. "I can only 'perform' when my camera is in the room and running, so I hope you aren't camera shy." He says with a small, slightly perverted wink This causes Beatrice to drop her check trying not to laugh.

He does the usual routine of paying the check and waving the poor girl away before doubling back to meet up with the waitress he adores so much. She walks over to him laughing.

"That was wonderful, for the record." She says.

"Thanks, I had the feeling that would go over well...or not so well, depending on how you look at it." Mark says, still chuckling.

"Look, I have to be home early today." She tells him, Mark's face falls at this. She frowns slightly seeing his reaction, then a thought hits her. "You wanna walk me home? We can talk on the way there." She says with a small smile, throwing her bag over her shoulder waiting for him to respond.

"Um..." He mutters, not quite sure he had heard that right.

"If you don't want to that's fine-"

"No. I do..yes.." He says quickly with a nervous chuckle, a warm feeling spreading through his body. "Where do you live?"

"Not far from here. Maybe a 15 minute walk." She smiles brightly at him, hooking her arm in his and walking out the door.

They remain silent for a minute or so as they walk, both of them searching for something to talk about. It's Mark who breaks the silence. "You know, I'm actually glad that I got pushed into this now." He admits to her. "I wouldn't have met you otherwise."

"Aw, you're sweet. Well, I can tell you that the feeling is completely mutual." She says, giving him a kiss on the cheek. The spot where her lips meet his cheek seems to burn as he begins to blush. He turns his head slightly, hoping that she doesn't notice it.

Mark launches deep into thought as silence falls once more. Now is a good time, he tells himself, just tell her how you feel. Once again, this isn't rocket science, he repeats this to himself trying to convince himself to tell her. But he can't do it, as much as he tells himself he needs to he can't do it. "I..." He opens his mouth, but falls silent as she looks over at him. "I think it's pretty cool that you were able to serve for all of the dates I've been on. It made the experience bearable." He mentally berates himself for copping out.

"To tell you the truth, I requested to serve you after the second date." She admits, her voice barely above a whisper. "It seemed kind of interesting to see what would happen next. The boss likes me so he said sure."

Mark can't help but beam at her. Everything seems to be going so well today. They continue to talk for the last few minutes before they reach her apartment. He walks her to the door. "See ya next week?" She asks, fashioning a cute little smile onto her face.

"Believe so..." He says softly. Now would be as good a time as any to tell her. She's right there, she actually wants to see him and enjoys talking to him...how the hell often does that happen. He opens his mouth, he's gonna do it. "Goodnight." Are the words that come out of his mouth. Nice one.

She flashes him a smile in response, taking out her keys. "Night Mark." She unlocks the door and walks in, leaving Mark to think about how spineless he is


	7. Birthday Wishes

Mark rushes back to the loft as soon as he can get his legs to regain function. He unlocks the door and rushes up the stairs, taking them two at a time. He opens the door wanting to tell Roger , only to find him in a state in which Mark doesn't think conversation would be possible.

He happened to walk in on Roger and Mimi post makeup sex. Roger was just coming out of the bathroom, completely naked, while Mimi is on the couch with a blanket covering herself.

Roger looks over at Mark as he walks in and stares at him. "You need something?" He asks casually. Mark can't seem to speak right now, though his mouth is gaping open.

His first thought is "Jesus, he's huge!" followed closely by thoughts like "I'm glad I didn't come in a few minutes earlier" and "I didn't know he has a tattoo there."

"Um...wanted to talk to you about something." Mark says, blushing profusely and looking away. "But I'm guessing now isn't the best time."

"Gimme a sec to get some boxers on." Roger says with a smirk, rather pleased by the awkward reaction Mark is giving him.

"I'll leave you boys alone for now." Mimi, who had gotten into her bra and panties as they talked, says, walking around to pick up the rest of her clothes. "Bye Marky..." She says before walking out of the loft.

Roger smirks once more, walking around and looking for his boxers. "Where the hell did I throw them..." He mutters while Mark sits down on the milk crate, not wanting to sit on the couch just yet. Thankfully, Roger finds his boxers. Slipping them on, he flops onto the couch.

"What happened to me having the right idea about things, and women not worth the aggravation?" Mark says sarcastically, knowing full well that Roger wasn't gonna keep to that.

"I lied." He says shortly, shrugging it off. "How was the date? Getting any close to getting laid?" He asks, grinning.

"Not quite." Mark says, "But I found the girl I want. She's a waitress at the diner and she's wonderful." He continues, possibly a bit more dramatic than usual.

"That's great, you ask her out yet?" Roger asks, leaning forward to him, a grin on his face.

"Eh..." Mark says weakly, he tried if it counts. Of course it doesn't, he's no closer to going out with her than Roger is to remaining celibate for the rest of his life.

"Guess that's a no." He says, raising an eyebrow. "Well, try your best to get on that while you can, if shes that good she wont be available for long." He yawns and stretches his arms out.

"Yeah, I know." Mark mutters, taking his glasses off an rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"You worry too much, don't assume that bad things will happen if you try." Roger says, trying to cheer Mark up.

"Things just never go right." Mark pouts.

"When you don't make an effort to change things, they remain status quo." Roger says before standing up. "I'm gonna take a shower."

"Have fun." Mark smirks.

"Wanna join?" He asks, chuckling as he walks toward the bathroom.

"I'll take a rain check on that one, tempting though."

* * *

Maureen and Joanne have relationship issues over the weeks following his last date, so she neglects to set him up with girls as hopeless as himself. Once again, people with relationship issues seem to sympathize with him.

"Now I can understand why you haven't gotten laid in two years." She had said the last time she visited. "Women are so difficult." She threw her hands in the air over dramatically.

She has no idea, he wanted to say but thought better of it. This one is one of their bigger fights and they've broken up for what feels like the eightieth time, so he didn't think this would be the best time to aggravate her. Best to just let her rant while he lets his mind wander to other things...like when he is going to see Beatrice again.

Since Maureen isn't setting things up for him anymore, he hasn't been able to see her. He could visit her at work, but he doesn't want to bother. Well, he knows where she lives...

Nah, that would take too much confidence. So he instead waits for a week or so for things to smooth over between them, as they usually did. It seems, though, that thing aren't going to be easily repaired. They still wouldn't see each other at all even after a week and a half. Time to take things in his own hands, he just needs to build up the courage to do it.

He figures the best way to do it would be to visit her house, but he didn't want to seem like he was there only to see her. He can't say why, but he just cant do it. He has to think of a reason to visit her.

He is contemplating this as Roger sits next to him, trying to get his attention. "We wanted to throw you a party for your birthday next week, anyone you wanna invite? We figured we shouldn't invite both Maureen and Joanne, though." He says. "We don't want bloodshed.:

"What?" Mark mutters distractedly. He had completely forgotten his birthday is coming up. "Invite Maureen, she' more interesting at a party..." He says before his voice trails off. He has an idea.

"What..." Roger asks, inquiring as to the strange look on Mark's face.

"That's it, I'll invite Beatrice." He says excitedly, sitting up straight in his seat. This is perfect, that way he'll have a lot more of a relaxed environment and more time to muster up the courage to ask her.

"The waitress girl you like?" Roger asks, a bright smile on his face. He is pleasantly surprised that Mark has thought of this. "I'm proud of you Mark, you gonna make your move then?"

"Planning to." He says before standing up. He can't let it wait, he is going to to it now. "What day is it?" He turns to face Roger in the midst of throwing on his jacket.

"Tuesday."

"Perfect." He says before running out of the loft. He makes it to her apartment relatively quickly, breaking into a full out sprint half way there. By the time he gets there he is doubled over trying to regain breath. He waits until he can stand up straight again before ringing the door bell.

He is only waiting a few seconds before he sees the door open, a small smile on her face as she sees him. "Hey Mark, haven't seen you in a while."

"Yeah, ex girlfriend having relationship issues."

"That's...kind of ironic." She says, a smirk on her face. "So what brings you here?"

"I wanted to ask you something." Mark says, pausing a bit to get himself ready to ask. She looks expectantly at him. "My birthday is coming up and my friends are throwing me a party at my place. I was wondering if you wanted to come."

She thinks for a second. "What day and what time?"

"Tuesday...around 5ish." He says, his words now coming out rather quickly. He is nervous about this, but excited at the prospect of her saying yes. He wants that more than he can say.

She pauses for a beat, think about her schedule. After a few seconds her smile grows a bit wider. "Yeah, yeah I can make it." She says. Mark can barely contain himself as he gives her directions to the loft, unable to stop himself from giving her a tight hug.

"I'll see you on Tuesday..." Mark says, fighting the urge to do more than just hug her.

"Tuesday." She nods, giving him a small wave before walking back into the building.

He can barely take the days in between that day in Tuesday. Maureen stops by a few times to check up on Mark, and complain about how difficult women are. She is thrilled to see that Mark has finally found someone.

"That's so great." She says after she has stopped brooding about Joanne. She throws her arms around him. "I'm so happy for you...so, Charlotte was kind of right to slap her..." Ever the queen of tact.

After about what seems like a long, nervous lifetime he finally makes it to Tuesday. He gets himself ready, showering, brushing his teeth and making frequent checks in the mirror to make sure he still looks alright.

"Calm down a bit." Roger says occasionally during the day when he does this, punching him on the shoulder.

Five o'clock rolls around and people start entering the loft. Mimi is first, then Maureen and Collins. After them a few of Roger's old band mates come in, Matt Rich and Gabe. Beatrice shows up about 15 minutes later.

"Sorry, got lost on the way over." She says shyly. She was never one to be anti-social, it just feels weird to be in a room full of people who know each other and only be friends with one of them. She waves at everyone somewhat awkwardly before making her way over to Mark and throwing her arms around his neck.

"Happy birthday Mark." She says, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, want something to drink?" He asks, blushing once more at the kiss. "We got plenty of beer."

"Usually I'd say no, but I think one or two cant hurt." She says with a grin. "But first, introduce me to your friends." Her grin turns into a cute little smile.

"Ok...Everyone, this is Beatrice." He says, bringing her over to where they were sitting. "That's Roger." He says, pointing to the rocker in question.

"Hey there." He says

"Nice to finally meet you." She says, nodding at him. Mark had told her a lot about his best friend and how they had known each other.

"He talk about me?" Roger says, flashing a look at Mark who turns away slightly.

"Quite a bit actually." She says. Roger is about to reply when Mark cuts him off.

"That's Rich, Matt, and Gabe. They were in Roger's old band way back when." He says, point to each one in turn. They give small waves before going back to their beers.

"Collins, Mimi." They wave and smile warmly as her. Somehow word had gotten to them that he has an eye for a girl who will be at the party. They are all happy for him and want to make her feel welcome.

It is working, Beatrice beams back at all of them, glad that they seem to all be friendly. Meeting them is such a nice switch from her usual day of dealing with a bunch of pains the ass who complain about the french fries and don't tip well.

Her eyes glance upon the one girl that he hasn't introduced her to yet. "And you." Beatrice says, grinning excitedly at her. "You must be Maureen. I had been hoping to meet you." She says, walking over to her, dragging Mark along. "He's told me so much about you."

Maureen, who is always glad to see people that think well of her, beams right back at Beatrice. "And he's told me so much about you as well." She says, moving over. "Have a seat you two."

They both sit down, Beatrice next to Maureen and Mark next to Roger.

"I can see why Mark liked you so much." Beatrice says, giving Maureen the once over. "You're as beautiful as he's said you are."

Her and Maureen hit it off pretty well after that. They begin to talk animatedly about random things, while Mark starts to talk with Roger.

Beatrice converses with Mark, Maureen and Roger as if she had known them all of their lives. It is amazing to Mark how easy this feels to hang out, though the process may be helped along by the pile of empty beer cans on the table, the three of them having their share.

When she excuses herself to go to the bathroom, Mark turns to Roger. "So, what do you think?" He asks. He always likes to know what his friends think about the people he's interested in.

"She's great." Roger says, a grin spreading across the length of his face. He is so happy to see Mark come out of his shell long enough to approach a girl. "She's nice, funny, easy to talking to, gets along with everybody. And she has a killer body." He says, putting added emphasis on this point.

"I told you." Mark who likewise cant stop smiling, replies.

"When are you gonna ask her?"

"I'll get to it. We have the rest of the party, after all." Mark says, to which Roger nods then gets up to go grab another beer for himself.

That's what he ends up doing, waiting until the end of the party. Not for lack of trying, though, he gives it a try a few times but it is still hard for him. She is constantly in conversation, often with Maureen, who seems to have taken a liking to her. They both understand what it's like to be a struggling actress. They also talk a lot about fashion, complimenting each other on what they are wearing and how they look. Mark is overjoyed to see that Beatrice is fitting in so nicely.

The party continues and Mark is having such a good time by the end of it. When Beatrice isn't talking to Maureen she is conversing animatedly with him. They talk again about the dates that she had witnessed him go on, also about how Roger is steadily getting piss drunk.

Finally, as they party is ending, signified by Mimi, Gabe, Matt and Rich passing out on the floor, Roger is slowly fading but keeps on trying to push Mark into asking Beatrice, because he wants to be conscious to see it. He shyly taps Beatrice on the shoulder, her and Maureen were just comparing the bras they are wearing.

She turns around slowly. "Yes Marky?" She asks, her lips still curved in a smile.

Mark pauses a moment just to look at her. He notices how her smile has a way of lifting up her face and making her look almost angelic in her beauty. "Yes?" She asks again, bringing Mark out of his trance.

"I..." He sputters out a few times, looking around for some guidance. He looks at Roger, who gives him an encouraging glance. "I...I really like you would..." He begins, pushing himself to continue. "Would you go out with me?"

Beatrice's face falls, the smile fading from her lips. "Oh Mark...oh Marky..." She says, moaning softly, a pained expression on her face.

"What?" He asks, not sure what this means. He can't tell if it is good or bad, but it doesn't sound too promising. Once again he glances at Roger, who shrugs and looks rather worried as well. Maureen also stares at the two, hoping for the best for him, Mark deserves this after all of this time.

"I would love to but..." She pauses, wincing as she says what she knows she has to say. "I'm a lesbian..." She says with a shrug. There is a stunned silence after that, where Mark, Maureen and Roger just gape at her. It is Mark who breaks the silence.

"No...no, no, no, no, no." He mutters continuously under his breath. This isn't happening, surely not. No way can he have fallen for another lesbian.

"Mark...I'm sorry..." She says sadly, she really does like him a lot, she just isn't into guys.

"You're a lesbian?" Says another voice, it's Maureen. She is staring at Beatrice as though just seeing her for the first time. She sits up in her seat.

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm a lesbian too." She says, flashing her a small smile.

"Really?" Beatrice says, her face lifting slightly. She had been growing attracted to Maureen throughout the part but didn't want to say anything. This, plus the alcohol circulating through her system, makes her stare once more at Maureen. Meanwhile Mark, seeing exactly where this is gong, walks out onto the fire escape.

Roger looks at Mark walking out the window, then looks to Maureen and Beatrice. He is torn between two choices. He can be a horny guy and sit there, watching the two flirt with each other and slowly begin to make out, or he can be a good friend and go out to him...make sure he doesn't throw himself off the fire escape.

He looks at the lovebirds, already getting closer and giggling like little girls. He looks out at the fire escape, to his friend who seems to be close to teas. Lesbians. Best friend...

Mark better appreciate this, he thinks as he abandons the kissing females and walks out to help Mark. He climbs out to him, just in time to see him start crying.

Shit, he has never been good at helping crying people before, let alone his best friend who has just been denied again. He walks over and sits down next to him.

They remain silent for a little while until Roger breaks the awkward pause. "If you think about it...it's pretty funny." He says, putting his hand on his shoulder. Mark shrugs it off.

"Fuck you Roger." He says softly without much conviction, in a way that said 'that's not funny' more than telling him to go away. Whatever Roger says, he needs someone with him right now.

"Come on Mark..." Roger begins, but cant finish it. He knows Mark has every reason to be upset, and nothing he can say right now will make it better. All he can do is drape his arm around Mark's neck and sit in silence, Mark resting his head on Roger's shoulder.

* * *

To Mark's despair, but not surprise, Beatrice and Maureen start going out after that night. From what Collins tells him, they began to make out on the couch, but by the time Mark walks in from the fire escape Maureen has already fallen asleep.

Beatrice looks at him. "I'm sorry, I wish I knew how you felt I would have told you earlier...I just didn't think you liked me that way." She mutters, giving him a hug to try and cheer her up.

Mark can't say anything to that. He can't speak at all, just sits there as everyone else eventually falls asleep.


	8. Bull By the Horns

The next weeks go by painfully slow for Mark, days so long and sleepless nights. He lies in bed until about three in the morning when he passes out. Then he wakes up at around 7 and walks around the loft like a zombie. Roger keeps trying to cheer him up, but doesn't have any luck.

"Mark, don't be like this." He says every once in a while when he sees Mark. "It really isn't the end of the world. You're young, good looking and a nice guy. You're just in a...dry spell..."

Mark doesn't pay attention to any attempts of Roger to raise his spirits. As far as he is concerned, Roger doesn't know what he is talking about. He has never had any trouble with finding women, how can he sympathize with Mark now.

Maureen tries visiting him a couple of times, hoping that she might be able to make amends. She really does feel bad about what happened, the beer in her system driving her to act the way she did. Mark doesn't accept her apology though.

"You must be putting in a lot of hours in on trying to ruin my life, cause you're doing a damn good job at it." Mark finally snaps.

"I'm not trying to do this Mark." She retorts, glaring angrily at him. She is mad that he yelled at her despite her apology, there really isn't much more that she can do. "I can't help it that this stuff keeps happening to you."

"If you were really sorry, you wouldn't be going out with Beatrice right now." Mark yells.

"I told you that I'm sorry how it happened." She now yells as well, getting impatient with the way Mark is acting. "If I could go back and change that, believe me I would but it would have happened anyway. I like her and she likes me, I'm not going to apologize for that and I'm not taking it back."

Mark doesn't talk to her after that, She tries to start a conversation with him again, but it doesn't work. He's still bitter over what happened, and somewhat mad that she has a point.

Following the fight, Mark is even more sad and brooding than before. It is starting to affect Roger even more. He can't stand to see his best friend like this. He tries not to mention anything to Mark, knowing how unpredictable his mood is.

Sometimes he tries to talk to Mark, and Mark snaps at him. Other times he won't talk at all. It's getting very hard to tell now, so it gets to the point where Roger doesn't talk to Mark for days on end.

* * *

After about a week or so of not talking to him, Roger finally breaks and tries to make conversation again. He walks out of his room to find Mark once again sitting lazily on the couch, he walks over and jumps on next to him.

"You left the house yet?" Roger asks brightly, hoping to cheer him up by being overly happy himself. Mark's brooding, depressed spells are really starting to bum him out. "Watch out, you might turn into me." He says with a laugh.

"Then I might actually get laid." Mark mutters with a bitter smirk. "God, why do I keep falling for lesbians?"

"Jesus Christ Mark." Roger exclaims, a rather amusing thought hitting him. "You're a male fag hag." He laughs uncontrollably.

Even Mark can't help but laugh at that, it is so true and depressing it's funny. "Wow...nearly three years now and I haven't gotten more than a kiss on the cheek."

"Depressing, aint it?" Roger says, glancing at him. He has been contemplating something for the last few days, possibly making good on a promise he made to Mark. A smirk grows on his face.

"Fucking right..." Mark mutters, leaning back further on the couch. All pretense is out the window, he isn't going to try and hide anything anymore. He needs to get laid, and he needs it bad. "I'm so desperate right now, I think I would take anything. I'd pay to have the bi-polar girl ba-" But he doesn't get to finish the sentence, being cut off by a pair of rough, stubbled lips covering his mouth in a searing kiss.

Mark groans slightly into the kiss, not really knowing what to think. For one insane second, Mark's arms fly around Roger's neck, pulling him closer. When he realizes what he's doing he pushes Roger away.

"What the hell was that about?" Mark half yells at Roger, who is still smirking, apparently rather pleased with himself.

"I told you." Roger says in a low, intense voice that makes Mark shiver slightly. "If you didn't get laid soon I was gonna do it for you. I think it's gone on long enough." He pushes Mark onto his back on the couch.

"But this isn't right, you-" Mark is once again cut off by Roger's mouth pressing roughly against his. His hand reaches down, grabbing Mark through his jeans and making him moan despite himself. As soon as Mark's mouth falls open to let out the noises of pleasure, Roger seizes the opportunity to force his tongue into his mouth. The force of the kiss drives Mark's head back and further into the cushion.

By the end of that exchange Mark has stopped fighting it, simply laying on his back and letting Roger do whatever he wants. He tells himself it's just because he knows he can't stop him, but he just doesn't want to admit how much he's enjoying it.

To Mark's disappointment, Roger breaks the kiss, his hand abandoning Mark's hard on. "Mark, this is for your own good. Your pent up sexual frustration is bothering me and I intend to do something about it. Besides." Roger says in a whisper, once again grabbing the bulge in his jeans, making Mark let out a small whimper. "You know you like it."

This Mark can't deny. He can't lie about the fact that the minute Roger's lips met his he became extremely horny and that he was sad when Roger stopped. There is also the element of curiosity there, Roger is notorious for his skills in bed, both male and female, and Mark is about to experience it.

If there was any resistance in his body before, there isn't any now, only waiting for Roger to do whatever he wishes to him. Mark's heart starts to race as Roger advances on him, his breathing heavy before Roger even does anything to him.

Roger moves at a teasingly slow pace, taking his sweet time and enjoying himself. Mark is whimpering again, wanting Roger to go faster but Roger does things the way he likes it. He bites down on Mark's neck, a small moan escaping from his lips as Roger's teeth and stubble scrape along the sensitive skin. He tangles his fingers in Roger's hair, almost as if to make sure he doesn't pull away.

Roger grabs Mark's shirt and pulls it over his head, tossing it to the side. He trails his lips against his pale skin, making Mark's heart race as if he were running a marathon. Roger is getting him worked up in a way he hasn't been in such a long time, and he is too lost in the pleasure to pretend he isn't enjoying every second of it.

Before he knows it Roger has made his way down Mark's body, all the while undoing Mark's jeans and pulling them down. It goes without saying that Mark has a massive erection stretching the thin fabric of his boxers. Roger looks up at Mark, half amused half surprised look on his face.

"Not bad Mark..." He smirks at the pale boy who is panting heavily, a look in his eyes that is practically begging Roger for more. He pulls down Mark's boxers, grabs his cock and begins to stroke him, Mark squirming and moaning, the feeling completely overwhelming him. Roger's rough and calloused hand feels good around him and he knows exactly what to do.

"Oh God." Mark mutters over and over again, eyes closed and face leaning back and towards the ceiling. No one has touched him in so long and this nearly feels as good as it did with Maureen. Roger lowers his head down to his cock, slowly running his tongue along the tip causing a sharp intake of breath from Mark. Liking this reaction, Roger continues and soon Mark has once again grabbed Roger's hair. He doesn't like this teasing thing that Roger is doing.

"Oh Roger...God please..." Mark whimpers, desperate for more. Roger flashes Mark another smirk before taking him into his mouth.

"Oh fuck." Mark shouts as Roger's head bobs up and down, each movement sending a wave of pleasure coursing through his body. His eyes close tight in an effort to stifle the moans that nonetheless issue from his lips, his hand clenched still harder in Roger's hair.

It doesn't take long before Mark starts getting close to climax, a pressure building in his chest like a white hot coil, and his breathing hitching harshly, and his whimpers becoming more desperate. Roger senses this and, not wanting the fun to end so quickly, slows down to a painfully slow pace. This results in another whimper from Mark.

"Please Rog, don't do this to me..." He whines, trying to push Roger's head down and speed things up, but his effort is wasted. Roger is determined to take his time with this.

He continues like this for a few more minutes, speeding up until it seems Mark is going to cum, then slowing down again. The suspense is driving Mark insane, it feels so good but he needs it to end. He would tell Roger to get on with it, but his vocal chords aren't working to well at the moment, unable to say much besides "God", "Roger..oh Rog..." and other forms of moaning.

Finally, after minutes of the torture that feels so good, Roger allows him to let go. He quickens the pace rapidly, going much faster than he has so far, so much that Mark can't stifle a loud moan. He cries out as he finally does cum, body lurching forward and his glasses flying off of his face. This orgasm is bigger than anything he has felt in a very long time. He lies back on the couch, completely spent, unable to move save for breathing heavily.

It's a few minutes before Mark is able to talk again. He uses this time to reflect upon what has just happened. Honestly, he doesn't know how he should react to getting a hummer from his best friend.

Roger gets up, leaving Mark sprawled on the couch as he goes into the kitchen. He walks back into the room after a few seconds, a beer in hand, sitting next to Mark. His face shows the same self satisfied look as before as he looks forward, seemingly unaware of the awkward silence that has fallen between them.

Mark stares at him for a beat, trying to think of something to say to this man. Finally he finds his voice. "So...what now?"

"I'd suggest putting your pants back on for a start." He says casually.

Mark goes red, hastily pulling his boxers up, then his jeans, amidst laughter from Roger. He falls back against the couch, putting his glasses back on, looking at him.

"So, you gonna lighten up a bit now?" Roger says, putting his hand on Mark's head and ruffling his hair.

"I can't even think right now..." Mark mutters exasperatedly.

"What's wrong Marky boy?"

"I just got a blow job from my best friend." He says, his voice finding volume once more, looking at Roger with a look of disbelief.

Roger waves it off though. "Don't take it so personally man."

Mark is at a complete loss at this logic, but he shrugs it off figuring it best not to ask. Better yet, best not to question someone who just gave him amazing head. Just go with it.

There is yet another pause where neither of them can think of anything to say, silence broken only by the occasional sips from Roger attacking his beer. Mark looks at him after a minute or so, a question springing up in his mind.

"What does this mean between you and Mimi?"

Roger raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you just went down on me." Mark says, chuckling awkwardly. "Like, what would she think if she found out?"

"Shit Mark, she knows." Roger says with a loud laugh, looking amused at Mark's reaction. "She's just mad that she couldn't see it herself."

Mark mouths wordlessly for a good minute and a half before he can force himself to talk again. He finds words issuing from his lips, though he is not completely aware of what he is saying. "Why isn't she here anyway?"

"Double shift at work." Roger says casually.

"Ah." Mark says in the same tone, though still slightly out of it. "So...nothing's wrong between you and Mimi?" He asks, sounding almost disappointed.

Roger smirks at this, obviously catching the disappointment he is trying to hide. "So what if I was?" He asks with a wicked grin, moving closer to Mark. Mark's body reacts to this immediately, heart beating faster, a shiver running down his spine and giving him goosebumps.

"Nothing...I just...I..."

Roger gets closer and closer until his face is barely an inch from Mark's. He lingers there for a second before pressing his lips against his once more, Mark moaning softly into the kiss. While at first the feeling of Roger's lips against his was awkward, borderline uncomfortable, now feels very good to him.

When Roger finally breaks the kiss he is smirking, enjoying this sort of hold he has over him. "There's nothing wrong between me and Mimi." He assures him. "But there is no reason we can't have an encore presentation of today." He says with a wink at him. "If you're ok with that of course."

Mark's face grows into a grin as he considers this possibility. "Yeah...I think I can live with that." He says with a mischievous smile. Maybe things aren't going to be so bad after all.


	9. Epliouge

Hello to all

Just wanted to thank you all for reading this far, it really does mean a lot to me. I wanted to mention that smut I wrote in the previous chapter is something I've never done before so...if it's below par to what you usual read, bear with me. )

Thanks once again.

* * *

It's been a good few weeks since Beatrice has seen or talked to Mark, and she feels horrible. Usually she is more in tuned with people's feelings and emotions, but she just didn't expect that he actually liked her. He's such a nice guy, he doesn't deserve this to happen to him.

She especially feels bad because of what happened with her and Maureen afterward. She knows she wouldn't have behaved like that if she wasn't slightly drunk...Well, noting she can do about it now, not like she can take it back or anything.

It's taken her a lot of courage to get herself to go and see him and, even now standing right outside the loft, she's contemplating running in the opposite direction. But no, she wont let herself do that.

Now...how to get in. She knows from the last time she was here that the buzzer doesn't work, and she doesn't have his phones number. Could this be a sign? She is about to take it as such when suddenly someone comes up behind her, taking out a key and opening up the door. Shit...she's going to have to go through with this.

As she walks up the stairs to get to the loft, memories of that night run through her mind. She sees his face, vivid as a photograph, when she told him that she was a lesbian. The more she thinks about it the more her resolve begins to crumble beneath her. Unfortunately, bu the time she decides to turn around and flee from the apartment, she's right in front of the door.

She leans her head against the door, trying to think of what the hell she could possibly say to him to make things right. She still wants to be his friend and she's worried that he'll never want to speak to her again.

Beatrice puts her hand on the handle of the door, trying to go over what she's going to say in her mind. She begins to open the door. "Mark." She thinks to herself. "I'm so sorry for what happened, I-" But her thought process is cut off by the sight in front of her eyes.

She had opened the door enough to see the couch, and on the couch she sees Mark and Roger. Her eyes go wide as her mind processes the sight.

Mark is getting head...from Roger...

She turns her eyes away from them, turning around and closing the door quickly and quietly. She stands there in a state of shock for a good few minutes, hearing muffled noises from inside the loft. What the hell had just happened?

"Well..." She mutters, moaning coming from behind the door. "Never mind then..." And with that, she walks out.


End file.
